Hollywood actor Alan Thicke, who passed away on Tuesday, had a Northern Ontario connection. Thicke was born in Kirkland Lake in 1947 and during the 1960’s, he lived in Elliot Lake where his father practiced medicine. The former star of the TV series Growing Pains attended and graduated from Elliot Lake Secondary School. He re-visited the community during the 1980’s as a guest of honour after making it in Hollywood. Thicke suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with his son and died in hospital in Burbank, California.
Thicke was an avid player and shared a hockey connection with a Moose FM employee. Pete Montana, the regional program director for the Timmins area, played hockey with Thicke at a Calgary fundraiser in 1991. The popular Canadian actor was 69 at the time of his death.